Field
Example embodiments relate to methods and/or apparatuses for more accurately notifying a user of a location of a destination when the user arrives at or near the destination using a location-based service.
Description of Conventional Art
Recently, with the development of global positioning system (GPS) technology and geographical information system (GIS) technology, a user may verify his/her location and peripheral information without restrictions with regard to time and/or occasion. A user may also be provided with travel route information associated with a destination through a variety of location-based services, such as a location verification service, a route find service, a route guide service, a local search service, etc.
A route guide service refers to a service that recognizes a current location of a terminal, such as a mobile terminal (e.g., a navigation terminal, a smartphone, etc.), identifies the recognized current location of the terminal on a map, and provides a travel route to a destination as well as additional information to a user.
A route find service refers to a service that notifies a user of a route based on departure, passage, and destination input from the user. A route find service may guide the user along a route by continuously updating a current location of the user on a map so long as the user allows use of his/her location information.
In an outdoor environment, GPS may be used to identify a current location of a user. Alternatively, or in conjunction with GPS, a current location of a user may be identified by: calculating a current location using a base station signal of a mobile communications network; calculating a current location using a WiFi base station signal; and/or requesting and receiving location information and/or a current location of a terminal from a location-based server.
In an indoor environment, a current location of a user may be identified using access point (AP) information and/or an indoor positioning system (IPS).
A conventional location-based service may guide a user along a route to a location near a destination designated by the user. However, conventional location-based services may not accurately notify the user of the actual location of the destination upon arrival near the destination. Rather, this must be done using a separate method.
In one conventional example, a user is provided with a destination arrival alarm when the user approaches a base station area of a mobile communications network corresponding to a destination set by the user. In this example, however, the location-based service terminates the guidance after outputting only a simple message such as, “you just arrived around your destination” when the user arrives near the destination. Accordingly, when it is difficult for the user to immediately determine or identify the actual location of the destination based on only location (e.g., GPS) information (e.g., when a user is located around a station, a market, a roadside of multiple lanes, an alley, a trail, etc.) the user may wander around the destination delaying arrival.